AM26-SU-39-L - Promoting Equity in Transfusion Medicine: Practical Examples

Sponsored by the RISE Committee: Respect, Inclusion, Support, and Engagement (RISE) Committee

It is critical for all transfusion medicine professionals to recognize inequity in our specialty.  However, we then need to translate that knowledge into action and directly foster positive change.  To provide a initial framework , the first speaker will discuss practical approaches for identifying and addressing systemic healthcare inequities.  The other two speakers will provide specific examples, one from cellular therapy and one from blood banking, of how normal genetic variation is wrongly considered a disease state and ways we can make an impact.  As the first example, international guidelines recommend that individuals with sickle cell trait (SCT) be excluded from cytokine-mobilized hematopoietic stem cell collections.   Without regard for personal choice or individualized risk-benefit assessment, donors with SCT are only given bone marrow harvest as an option. The speaker on this topic, an apheresis physician, will discuss the lack of evidence supporting this as well as other unfair SCT-related practices.  For the second example, a hematologist will discuss Duffy-null Associated Neutrophil Count (DANC) and how healthy Duffy-null individuals may undergo unnecessary bone marrow biopsies or not receive chemotherapy due to the false belief that they are neutropenic. Whether a nurse, laboratory professional, or physician, these issues provide opportunities for advocacy, and speakers will discuss practical ways for you to promote equity and affect positive change.